Thursday, April 14

6:10 a.m.

Here's the thing about S.A.T. day....it's extremely boring for the teacher that has to proctor the assessment, but it's also one of those days.  I know this sounds a bit cruel on my part, but from Day 1 of the school year I try and try and try to motivate the students - to prepare them - to advise them.  I tell them the school year will go fast.  I give them opportunities to practice in class and show them how they can practice even more outside of class.  And the vast majority of them won't act on my efforts.  The look at me and respond to me like they know better, and I'm wasting their time to do more important things like their sports, their jobs, their phones, etc...

And then while they are taking the test, I see the look - the look of frustration and concern.  And I have mixed feelings for them and me.  I want to feel badly for them.  I honestly feel a bit of a sense of failure myself.  While they are taking the test, Google can't help them, their friends can't help them, their parents can't help them, shared copies of docs through Google Drive can't help them.  They are faced with the reality that they are on their own with a difficult challenge.  Now some of them just don't care, so the test is easy for them. They think it's funny they don't try.  Their "come to Jesus" moment won't arrive until later in life...perhaps a few years, perhaps even longer.  And there will be a few that find a way to never have to work at life.  So watching students take the S.A.T. is a reminder for me to keep trying because there will come a time when they need to be able to read and edit and perform math skills, and they will need to face difficult challenges on their own without the assistance of others.  So I need to keep trying to do my best to try to help them.

In other news...the camper is ready, my umpiring gear is ready, heck, the pool is ready to be opened.  The shed is ready to get the pool stuff out.  I even charged the battery in the lawnmower last weekend.  I even got my new Blackstone delivered yesterday.  EVERYTHING IS READY for some nice freaking weather!  And yet, it's not going to arrive for the foreseeable future.  Today there is a freaking high wind warning.  Temps aren't supposed to get out of the low 50's through the extended forecast.  It's supposed to be a bleak and drizzly Easter Sunday.  Uck, Uck, Uck!

Speaking of uck.  Today is an 11:30 a.m. dismissal professional development day!  I despise professional development days.  There is no school for Good Friday tomorrow, and there is no school on Monday.  I'm going to be indoors for a lot of the weekend, but I guess I'm not going to be at work.

English III

• create the English III next day's agenda and schedule post to stream
• score assignments and record into Lumen as needed - n/a
• put SAT debriefing extra credit into Lumen

Other Things To Do

• Cole's birthday is Monday
• open pool
• get remaining stuff out of the shed

2022 SOFTBALL UMPIRING

Apr. 14 -- OPEN
Apr. 15 -- OPEN - Good Friday no school
Apr. 16 -- at ROWVA - Oneida 11 a.m.
Sunday,  April 17 Easter Sunday
Apr. 18 -- OPEN no school
Apr. 19 -- SB (2 games) at Knoxville 4:30 with Ron Grant
Apr. 20 -- SB (2 games) at Sherrard 4:30 with Lennie
    RTA meeting 3:45 - Lisa's room - NOT GOING TO MEETING
Apr. 21 -- SB (2 games) at United 4:30 with Jason
Apr. 22 -- BLOCKED OPEN
Apr. 23 -- BLOCKED OPEN
Sunday, April 24
Apr. 25 -- BLOCKED/REMOVED from game
    RTA meeting 4:00 Shawn's room
Apr. 26 -- SB (2 games) at AlWood 4:30 with Chet
Apr. 27 -- BLOCKED/REMOVED from game
    RTA & BOE meeting - 4:30
Apr. 28 -- SB (2 games) at United 4:30 with Jason
Apr. 29 -- BLOCKED OPEN
Apr. 30 -- BLOCKED OPEN

Sunday, May 1
May 2 -- SB (2 games) at MonRose 4:30 with Doug
May 3 -- SB (2 games) at AlWood 4:30 with Jason
May 4 -- SB (2 games) at Orion 4:30 with David Olinger
May 5 -- SB (2 games) at Rock Island 4:30 with Vandervinne
May 6 -- BLOCKED OPEN
May 7 -- BLOCKED OPEN
Sunday, May 8
May 9 -- SB (1 V game) at Galesburg 4:30 with Jason
May 10 -- SB (\1 game) at Knoxville 4:30 with Dan Burgland
May 11 -- OPEN
May 12 -- SB (2 games) at MonRose 4:30 with Chris Johnson
May 13 -- BLOCKED OPEN
May 14 -- BLOCKED OPEN
Sunday, May 15
May 16-21 - IHSA softball regionals
May 16 - OPEN
May 17 -- SB SB (1 V game) at Geneseo 4:30 with Lloyd
May 18 -- at Geneseo (JV)
May 19 -- OPEN
May 20 -- Brooklyn's recital
May 21 -- OPEN
Sunday, May 22
May 23-27 - IHSA softball sectionals
May 23 -- SB at DeWitt 5:00 & 6:30 with Lennie
May 24 -- open
May 25 -- SB at Davenport West 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 29
May 30 - 1A/2A supersectional
June 1 - 10 a.m. at Muscatine

June 2 - 10 a.m. at Muscatine
June 3-4 - 1A/2A softball state tournament